Bangkok Rising

For the better part of a decade, Thailand has been bolstering its role as the "Detroit of Asia." And nowhere is this trend more obvious than at the recently concluded Bangkok International Motor Show.

In a country whose population is almost 20 million less than that of the Philippines but whose vehicle sales are almost five times greater at 500,000 units a year, the biggest motor show may be likened to a scaled down Tokyo or Detroit Motor Show.

The Bangkok International Trade Exhibition Center (BITEC) is every bit as modern a venue as Tokyo’s Makuhari Messe or Detroit’s Cobo Center. The corporate displays are every bit as elaborate as those found in the bigger international shows, albeit on a smaller scale.

And the cars? There were a handful of exotic (Ferrari, Maserati), Formula 1 (Toyota) and a few other race cars. Concept cars were a rare sight, and the few that were present were hand-me-downs from previous shows in Detroit, Tokyo or the European shows.

What made the Bangkok Motor Show head and shoulders ahead of its regional counterparts is its staggering array of production models. Almost every major carmaker showed off its full line and took the opportunity to introduce an important new model or, at the very least, a heavily revamped one.

Honda debuted its all-new radically restyled City and Accord models, the former sporting an innovative CVT stepless automatic transmission. Toyota displayed production and racing versions of its new Soluna Vios compact sedan. These three cars are expected to land on Philippine shores soon.

Making somewhat bigger news splashes in Bangkok were two new models from America’s two biggest automakers, General Motors and Ford. GM unveiled its new Optra, a handsome compact sedan that traces its heritage to GM’s new acquisition from Korea, Daewoo Motor. The Optra comes with 1.6 and 1.8-liter engines. GM also showed off its American-made Lumina sedan, but the large four-door was still not on sale at the time of the show.

Ford, meanwhile, unleashed a ripple that will inevitable reach the far corners of the globe, or at least the corners where this novel new vehicle will be shipped. The ripple is no less than the Everest. But lest you accuse Ford of making a mountain out of a molehill, the Everest is well on its way to single-handedly redefining the AUV cum SUV crossover better than its more established local rivals have when the Everest comes to these shores.

Class-leading power comes from a turbo-intercooled 2.5-liter diesel engine borrowed from the Ranger pickup, from which the Everest also gets its chassis. However, what will really separate this Ford when the going gets tough is its available four-wheel-drive. Combine this with luxury car touches inside that includes a versatile passenger/cargo-loading configuration, a genuine SUV-look exterior replete with a side-opening rear tailgate and a tailgate-mounted spare tire among other SUV touches, and you have a truck that can walk the walk as easily as the true-blue SUVs.

On the sporting front, BMW took the wraps off its spectacular Z4 roadster while Nissan and Mazda brought their 350Z and RX-8 sports cars. Volkswagen displayed its adorable New Beetle Convertible. Surprisingly, French cars were out in force, with Peugeot and Citroen showing off a bevy of French beauties. (Peugeot will be making a Philippine splash of its own soon.)

All things considered, it’s easy to understand why Thailand is considered the Detroit of Asia. The cars, the plants, the sales figures, the shows — it’s all there.